Stronger (2017)
87%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 8 nominations
Stronger rises on the power of its well-chosen ensemble to offer an emotionally resonant fact-based story that transcends inspirational drama clichés
Stronger” is a film that will make you laugh, cry, and cringe all at the same time. Jake Gyllenhaal and Tatiana Maslany deliver powerful performances that will leave you in awe. Sure, some of Jeff’s family members are a bit of a mess, but who doesn’t have a crazy uncle or two? The film does a great job of showing the struggles Jeff faced after the bombing and how he learned to embrace his new identity as a symbol of Boston Strong. Overall, “Stronger” is a must-see film that will leave you feeling inspired and grateful for the strength of the human spirit.
Production Company(ies)
Pathé Consortium Cinéma Indusfilms Société Nouvelle Pathé Cinéma
Distributor
Lionsgate Films, Roadside Attractions
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Chelmsford, Massachusetts, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language throughout, some graphic injury images, and brief sexuality/nudity
Year of Release
2017
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 59m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 22, 2017 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 19, 2017
Genre(s)
Biography/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Tatiana Maslany, Miranda Richardson, Clancy Brown, Lenny Clarke, Carlos Sanz, directed by David Gordon Green, written by John Pollono, biography, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by David Stratton, Donald Clarke, Wendy Ide, Tim Robey, Kevin Maher, Geoffrey Macnab, Brian Eggert, Andrew Lim, Matt Brunson, Hosea Rupprecht, Olly Richards, Richard Crouse, R MPAA rating, Boston Marathon bombing, physical and emotional rehabilitation, fact-based story, inspirational drama clichés, ensemble cast, Todd Lieberman, David Hoberman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michel Litvak, Scott Silver, Lionsgate Films, Roadside Attractions
Worldwide gross: $8,503,658
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $10,257,419
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,959
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,118,584
US/Canada gross: $4,211,129
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,079,616
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,809
US/Canada opening weekend: $1,611,040
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $1,943,295
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,208
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $30,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $36,187,082
Production budget ranking: 1,034
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $19,486,744
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$45,416,407
ROI to date (est.): -82%
ROI ranking: 1,897
Tatiana Maslany – Erin Hurley
Miranda Richardson – Patty Bauman
Clancy Brown – Big Jeff
Lenny Clarke – Uncle Bob
Carlos Sanz – Carlos
Director(s)
David Gordon Green
Writer(s)
John Pollono
Producer(s)
Todd Lieberman, David Hoberman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michel Litvak, Scott Silver
Film Festivals
Toronto
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 8 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (197) | Top Critics (61) | Fresh (177) | Rotten (20)
It’s not an easy film to watch, especially because so many of Jeff’s family members are themselves walking disasters. But the performances by Gyllenhaal and Maslany make the ordeal worthwhile.
February 21, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/5
David Stratton
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
Gyllenhaal has rarely been better.
December 11, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Donald Clarke
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
With its swelling score and obligatory shots of noble, fluttering US flags, the film buys into the hero narrative wholesale.
December 10, 2017 | Rating: 2/5
Wendy Ide
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
It’s one of those decent, well-acted, non-revelatory efforts destined to be filed snarkily under “this had awards buzz” through no real fault of its own.
December 8, 2017 | Rating: 3/5
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
… stealing the best bits from My Left Foot, Born on the Fourth of July and The Theory of Everything by playing a character who’s not quite paralysed, but mostly in a wheelchair and delivering enormous shouty set-piece speeches …
December 7, 2017 | Rating: 2/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Stronger is at its best in its harshest moments, when it acknowledges the contradictions in its hero’s story and portrays his bitterness and self-loathing as well as his courage.
December 7, 2017 | Rating: 3/5
Geoffrey Macnab
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Green delivers his most accessible film to date, and nearly every beat of the film works as intended, even if we can occasionally see our heartstrings being pulled.
March 17, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Patty and Erin are pitted as opposites and uneasy adversaries throughout the movie.
September 23, 2021 | Rating: C
Andrew Lim
Mediaversity Reviews
Director David Gordon Green foregoes any pumped-up melodramatics and simply allows Gyllenhaal and Maslany to provide the story with the honest emotion it requires.
September 18, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Stronger shines when it shows the struggle Jeff went through to first accept and then to embrace his status as a symbol of Boston Strong…
August 25, 2021
Hosea Rupprecht
Pauline Center for Media Studies
Jake Gyllenhaal is sure to bag awards with this moving, complex portrayal of a bomb victim…
April 27, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Olly Richards
NME
Works well when it lets go of the triumph of the human spirit angle and allows the characters to behave like people, not heroes.
March 1, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Richard Crouse
Richard Crouse…
Plot
Jeff Bauman is a well-intention-ed but underachieving Boston native who works at the deli counter of a Costco and lives in a small two-bedroom apartment with his alcoholic mother, Patty. One day at the local bar, Jeff runs into his ex-girlfriend Erin, who is attracted to his kindness and charm but finds herself constantly frustrated by his lack of commitment. After learning that Erin is running in the Boston Marathon to raise money for the hospital she works at, Jeff asks every patron in the bar to donate and then promises Erin he’ll wait at the finish line for her with a big sign. The day of the Marathon, Jeff scrambles to make it to the finish line on time but reaches it just before Erin reaches the finish line. As she approaches a bomb goes off right where Jeff is standing. After being rushed to a hospital, both of Jeff’s legs are amputated above the knee. When he regains consciousness, Jeff tells his brother that he saw the bomber before the explosion. Patty calls the FBI, and Jeff is able to give them a description of Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Local authorities capture Dzhokhar Tsarnaev days later, and Jeff is hailed as a hero.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels praises Jake Gyllenhaal’s “powerful acting performance” in Stronger.
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